To Love or to Hate
by nanirain
Summary: Riku lands on the other side of Kingdom Hearts in a very VERY strange world. Now he might be stuck there with the most beautiful and stubborn girl he’s ever met. He cant decide whether he wants to love her, or hate her...
1. On the Other Side of Kingdom Hearts

Me: Ok, here goes. Hello world!

World: … heh, loser…

Me: Humph, well then… Hello, my penname is nanirain, but my nickname (first used by The Squabbit is nani ok? Ok.) Anyhow, This is my new story: Stuck with you! For you information, chapter One will be very short.

World: BOO!

Me: But! Chapter two will be longer and posted at the same time.

World: … eh?

Me: just read on, you'll see what I mean. Welcome to my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic!

Sora: Score! A story about me!

Riku: (Slap)

Me: O.O Hey no violence! (holds up tacky sign) its our policy!

Sign: NO VIOLENCE IN AUTHOR'S NOTES! IT IS OUR POLICY!

Sora: Ow! What was that for?

Riku: You're being stupid. It's a story about me. It says so in the summary. Don't make me hurt you, Sora.

Me: Uh…Riku (waggles sign up and down)

Sora: It is not about you! I'm the star! It's about me! (tackles Riku)

Me: Uh… Sora (waggles sign up and down even harder)

Riku and Sora: (fighting)

Me: Hey! Hey! (waggles sign furiously till her hand falls off)

Arlyn: Guys, Guys, calm down… calm down… It's a story about me.

Riku and Sora (still on the ground, frozen in mid fight): … (blink stupidly)

Riku: and who the hell _are_ you?

Me: (reattaching hand with superglue) MUAHAHAHA! You must read the story to find out! (hand falls)

Riku and Sora: (grumble) (grumble) it's a story about us…

Arlyn: (twitch) (pulls out flame thrower) IT'S A STORY ABOUT ME, DAMMIT! (threatens Sora and Riku)

All: 0o

Me: (goes to hold up sign) (hand falls off again) … (mutter) (mutter) stupid superglue…

Sora: (backs slowly away from flamethrower) (gulp) I don't think I like her very much

(Sora gets flamed to a crisp)

Riku (angrily): Hey!

Arlyn (whips around with flamethrower): WHAT!

Riku: N-nothing!

Me: (sigh) ok… so much for the policy (trashes sign) read on …

Riku in the distance: (screams in pain) God Dammit, WHO THE HELL **ARE** YOU!

Arlyn: IT'S ABOUT MEEEEEE!

**Chapter One: On the Other Side of Kingdom Hearts**

When Riku landed on the other side, the first thing he noticed was the brilliant night sky above him. It was an unexpected sight. As he stared at it, his lips parted a little in amazement; the stars above him were so swollen and heavy with silvery, white light that it almost seemed as if they were ready to burst. He knew something was wrong. They shouldn't have been that bright. The second thing that he noticed was that he hadn't landed on the ground. No indeed. He had landed on something else, or rather, on some_one_ else.

There was a grunt, as someone wriggled out from underneath him. "Hey!" A young girl's voice pierced into his scrambled mind and he blinked at its sharpness, looking up at a pair of misty light gray-blue eyes he struggled in vain to understand. "Are you ok?" The voice, which he assumed came with the eyes, asked him. When he tried to answer, a sharp pain blossomed in the back of his head. He must have knocked it on something as he had fallen. It seared severely in the back of his mind, and above him, the brilliant stars began to fade.

'_Am I blacking out?_' He marveled as the bright gray eyes began to become covered by a dark could inside his eyes. '_I've never blacked out before…_'

"Hey!" The girl's voice sounded desperate as he slipped away.

'_Sora_…' Was the only thought that accompanied his mind as it slipped away into darkness.

Me: Muahah! End of Chapter One!

Sora: Hey… I wasn't even in this chapter… if you can even _call_ that a chapter (grumble) (grumble) that was hardly a few paragraphs…

Me: Shut it! Chapter two makes up for it!

Riku: (smirks) told you it was a story about me

Arlyn: You're both wrong. It's a story about me.

Riku and Sora: WHO **ARE** YOU!

Arlyn: (whips out flute) Muahahahahahahah! Ahhahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Ahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ha!

Sora and Riku: … eh?

Me: (Snatches away flute and whacks her with it so much for the no violence policy) No! You don't get to use it yet!

Riku and Sora: … Eh!

Arlyn: (pouts) Fine… (whips out flamethrower) can I use this?

Me: No! (waggles sign) No terrorizing the characters!

Arlyn: FINE! (Nani gets burned to a crisp)

Riku: (sweatdrop) Sora… I think we'd better leave

Sora: Muh-me too

(both start backing away slowly)

Author (now a little pile of ash): Please Review!

Riku and Sora: AHHHHHHHH!


	2. Chapter Two: Only in His Mind

Me: I'm baaaaack!

Riku: You never left!

Sora: Welcome back! (stupid grin) (pats Nani on back)

Riku: (slaps forehead)

Kairi: Um… who are you?

Riku and Sora: (flinch)

(you must forgive, they had a traumatizing experience in chapter one)

Me: I'm Nani! (gives card) The author!

Kairi: (stares dumbly at card)

Riku: Maybe she doesn't know how to read yet…

Sora: …ummm… Read?

Riku and Nani: (sweat drop)

Kairi: Um… ok… who's _that_?

All: (turn)

Me: Oh that? That's Arlyn

Riku and Sora: (flinch)

Sora: (cough)(cough)Pyro(cough)

Kairi: Why is she sitting in the corner with a flamethrower?

Me: Punishment

Kairi: huh?

Me: Just read.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Only in his Mind**

Previously:_ '**Am I blacking out?'** He marveled as the bright gray eyes began to become covered by a dark cloud from inside his eyes. '**I've never blacked out before…'**_

"_Hey!" The girl's voice sounded desperate as he slipped away._

'_Sora…' Was the only thought that accompanied his mind as it slipped away to darkness._

"Riku! Riku!" When he opened his eyes, he was laying down in a huge bed with a deep, soft mattress and a goose feather pillow beneath his head. The first thing he saw were bright blue eyes. Riku jumped in surprise, and then he saw the trademark silly, grin.

"Sora!" He groaned, grabbing the nearest pillow and slamming it into Sora's face. The younger boy tumbled backwards off the bed, laughing through the fabric crushed into his mouth. Riku sat up slowly, and rubbed the aching lump on his head.

When he looked around he found himself in an unfamiliar house, crates and boxes were piled up against the walls, presumably supplies, and the wooden floor boards led to another open doorframe at the other end of the room. "Where am I?"

"You're with us, silly." He turned to see Kairi, sitting on the bed beside him, smiling gently with her beautiful blue eyes. Hers were the bluest out of all those in Destiny Islands. Riku's were a piercing aqua color, and Sora's were a friendly, bright blue. But Kairi's were by far the most beautiful. And she wasn't even from Destiny Islands in the first place.

"Kairi," he said her name gently, as if he were afraid she wasn't really there. "You're ok." He found himself staring at her soft brown hair, and the way it fell around her cream colored face.

"Yes, so are you." She laughed.

"Why?" Riku asked, confused and a little frustrated. "I stepped through the door, to darkness, to oblivion."

Kairi shook her head, her blue eyes softening. "You're too good for oblivion, Riku, too pure for darkness. The creator of the worlds, whoever he or she is, didn't think that you deserved that fate."

Riku look down at his gloved hands carefully. "Too pure for darkness…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see her beautiful blue eyes, she was still smiling at him. "Riku, you don't belong there, you belong here with me and Sora… We belong together, always."

"And plus," Sora said, now standing beside Kairi and off the floor, the pillow regretfully removed from his mouth, "I thought that I should give you this." He said, pulling out the KeyBlade with a sharp, metallic rush, and held it sideways out to Riku, who took it incredulously, blinking at Sora as his friend smiled at him.

"Why?" He asked, still in disbelief. "I tried to steal this from you."

"That was when you were possessed." Sora said dismissively. "That doesn't matter anymore, it wasn't your fault." He explained. "But you are the true master of the KeyBlade right? So I figure that I was just holding onto it for you, you know? Keeping it safe until you could get it."

Riku stared at the KeyBlade in his hand. It felt so right. It felt so natural, and so good to have its weight resting in his hands. "Thanks, Sora." He smiled at his best friend, who clapped him on the shoulder.

"What are best friends for?" Sora grinned.

Suddenly, Riku found himself enveloped in a sweet smelling perfume. Thin white arms were wrapped around him, someone was holding him from behind. He turned and saw her face. "Kairi?"

"I'm so glad your safe." She whispered to him, he could smell her shampoo, he could feel her warm cheek against his. "I was so worried about you, Riku." She said, holding him a bit tighter. "I was worried that I would never be able to get to say thank you, for saving my life… thank you." She whispered. "You did everything you could to save me, even if it meant sacrificing yourself to the darkness. Thank you so much, Riku. I…" She stuttered and broke off, he thought he could feel the blush heat in her cheeks radiating off to his own.

"Aw, Kairi, you're such a coward. You start to say something, then you get embarrassed and leave poor Riku hanging." Sora said, sitting down on the bedside. "What the doofus here is trying to say is that she loves you." Sora smiled at Riku, and Kairi gave out a little gasp in humiliation, holding tight to Riku.

Riku turned his head around to look at her blue eyes. "Truth?"

"Y-yes." She muttered, laughing nervously. "But I mean, it's ok if you don't-"

Riku suddenly reached up, took her face in his hands and kissed her mouth gently. Kairi tensed at first, and then relaxed. She kissed him back, again and again, and then they broke off just as gently as they had started. Kairi blushed furiously and smiled sheepishly. Riku smiled back. He was so glad. He had loved her for so long.

"So, now that you two have finally admitted your feelings to one another," Sora said, standing up and feeling awkward having being about two feet away from Riku and Kairi as they had kissed, brushed his hands off on his shorts, "I'd say that we have a lot of things to do." He grinned at them. "Let's start getting ready, together, what do you say, Riku?"

"Ready?" Riku asked, puzzled, staring at his brown haired friend.

"To go explore the worlds, silly." Kairi said, jumping up from the bed. "Just the three of us."

"Together." Sora smiled. He held out his hand, palm down, and immediately Kairi put hers over his. Together, they both looked at Riku expectantly. Riku smiled, pulling the sheets away and standing up with his friends. Gently but firmly he rested his hand overtop of theirs. Together, and all with stupid grins spreading from ear to ear, they threw their hands up and jumped, giving a cry of happiness at being together again, and then slamming their feet as hard as they could back to the floor.

"Let me go get my stuff," Kairi said breathlessly, "and I'll be right back." She was practically jumping with excitement.

Riku nodded. "We'll wait for you here."

She ran out of the room into the next, slamming the door shut with her excitement. Riku turned to Sora, and suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Sora, about those friends of yours-"

Sora looked puzzled "What?"

"You know," Riku pushed gently, "the mage… and the knight?"

Sora remembered suddenly and grimaced. "Oh, those two." He said. "What about them?"

"Well, that's what I was going to ask." Riku said. "What's the deal with those two?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "They're just a bunch of stupid lugs, Donald and Goofy. They can't do anything right. They won't help me fight, they just pass out and yak at me. I can't stand them." Sora cringed. And Riku, for the first time in a long time, felt comfortable with him. The old friendship between them reformed instantly.

"But you seemed pretty friendly with them in Traverse Town."

"You mean after you found us?" Sora asked. "Duh I was friendly to them, I have to keep them happy to keep them from getting in my way." Sora said tiredly, as if he were talking about babysitting two year olds. "I'm always smiling at them and complementing them because they won't stand for anything else." Sora leaned against an old crate and linked his arms around the back of his head. "Sometimes I think I should have just killed them." He said. "They weren't any replacement for you and Kairi."

Riku smirked, "They sound like a bunch of losers."

"You couldn't imagine…" Sora started.

"Ok, I'm ready!" They turned to find Kairi, standing in the doorway, looking flushed and excited. "Let's go!"

"Alright!" Sora said, standing up straight, his blue eyes sparkling with laughter. "Let's go, everything's ready."

Riku took the KeyBlade and he held it in his hand. He looked at Kairi, as they headed out the door together to the cobblestone streets. Sora was just slightly ahead of them. "Kairi," Riku said, looking down at her. "You really want to do this with us?" He asked.

"Of course I do, silly. You're the one person… that I want always to be with."

Riku felt warm joy spread across his body, but he could see by the worried look in Kairi's face that something was wrong. "But…" He said slowly, trying to get her to spill.

She stared up at him, and then sighed, studying the street. "But what if something's out there," She asked, seemingly ashamed. "I'm afraid that we'll find something horrible, something that's ready to kill us as soon as we stumble up on it. What will we do then?" She asked, her voice soft.

"I'll protect you." Riku said simply.

Kairi looked up at him with soft, thankful eyes as she stared up at him. "You really are perfect." She said, putting her hand in his.

He smiled down at her, lacing their fingers together. "Kairi…" He said slowly, "I… I love you."

Gray-blue eyes blinked. And suddenly he was lying down on a bed again, only this one was smaller and less comfortable, and instead of Kairi being there, he saw another girl with her misty gray-blue eyes staring down at him, her eyebrows were raised in surprise. "Not really what I expected you to say to me when you first woke up," a girl's voice said with half a laugh hidden inside her tone "but I'll take what I can get when it comes to compliments."

Riku blinked at her. "Who are you?"

"Arlyn." She answered. "Warrior of castle Rwivern. Who are you?"

"Riku." He answered automatically. Realization hit him. A dream. It had only been a dream. Of course it had been. He thought scornfully to himself. Those things could have only happened in his mind. There was no way Sora would have ever handed over the KeyBlade to him, even if he had been originally destined to wield it.

Riku had chosen darkness over light to save Kairi, and so the KeyBlade that should have been his, rejected him for Sora, his best friend, and arch rival. And as for Kairi… he smiled bitterly to himself. He knew she didn't love him. Not like that. He knew that she felt so much more deeply about Sora than she could have ever felt about him. She was the Princess of Heart, and so she would love a creature of the light. Riku stared down at his black, gloved hands, and clenched the sheets into knots at his knees. He was definitely not too pure for darkness.

The girl beside him shifted uncomfortably and he was pulled back to reality. He was in a strange place, with a strange girl, and he was still alive. He couldn't make any sense out of that last part. He had watched the door close, and expected to die a horrible death, murdered by the heartless. But instead he had fallen through the floor the instant they had come at him. He thought for sure that the fall would kill him, and yet, here he was, alive and with a beating heart.

He turned to the girl who was sitting in a small, makeshift wooden stool beside his bed. He glared at her with his piercing aqua eyes. "What is this place?" He asked. "Is this your world?"

She blinked. "My world?" She said. "I don't know. I know it isn't the world that I come from… but I must have been sent here for a reason. I mean…" She appeared to now be talking to herself. "There has to be some reason why I'm still alive."

"What?" Riku was too tired to try to figure out what she was saying. His mind was a bit dazed and scrambled both from the fall and from the dream.

"I was supposed to be killed." She said more slowly, and louder to Riku's annoyance. He was begging to get a headache and louder wasn't very helpful. "I should have died, but instead I ended up here… somehow." She seemed troubled, but Riku didn't notice, his headache was getting worse and worse. She looked up at him and smiled. "But I'm glad I'm not alone anymore."

That last part got Riku's attention. "Wait, you mean there's no one else here?"

"Not that I know of," She shrugged somewhat sadly, "And I've been here for a while. I also can't seem to find a way out." She said, dismayed. "I've tried so many different things." She sighed, "But it looks like I've come here and now I'm stuck, maybe for good."

Riku cringed. "Don't say that." He said.

"Don't say what?" She asked.

"That."

"What?"

"Anything."

"I never said, 'anything'."

"No! Don't speak at all, ok? Just shut up for a few seconds!" Riku burst out, his head cradled in his hands. He had such a headache.

"What's wrong with you?" Arlyn asked, annoyed. "You got a hangover or something?"

"What?" Riku was getting very frustrated.

The girl got up in his face. "DO" she said very slowly, "YOU HAVE A HANGOVER?"

Now he was pissed. That had hurt a lot. "Shut up!" He yelled, causing his head to pound. "I think I knocked open a blood vessel or something." He muttered.

Suddenly, cool soft hands were resting gingerly over his temples and his forehead. The coldness of her hands helped to numb the pain, and he welcomed them, closing his eyes against her touch. "I don't feel anything." She said.

Riku's started head pounded once more as she spoke again. "Don't feel any what?"

"Broken vessels." She replied. "You probably have a slight concussion."

"What are you? My Doctor?" Riku snapped rudely, her soft cool hands were removed from his head instantly, and he regretted it.

Riku cracked his eyes open and looked at her. "Whatever." He muttered. And then she slapped him. Right across the side of the head. His brain exploded in pain, throbbing as if she had hit him over the head with her stool.

Riku sucked air in through his teeth, making a hissing noise. "THAT HURT!" He roared, turning to glare at her through the foggy mist that had filmed over his eyes because of the migraine. He found that she was glaring right back at him.

"If you weren't so rude, I wouldn't have slapped you!"

Riku cringed; all the noise was making his headache even worse. The pain was indescribably intense. He felt as if his head might crack open any second and spill out a raging war. The girl watched him for a while, although he wasn't aware of it, the pain was too distracting. "You want to go to sleep?" She asked him.

He only heard the pounding in his head. The girl sighed and brought up a chair to the bed, sighing with guilt. She knew she should have contained her temper, but at least she could atone for it. She sat down and out of a small leather backpack under the bed she tugged loose a drawstring, and pulled out an ebony flute, engraved with curling silver vines and tiny, acrylic blue berries. She held the black wood up to her delicate mouth, closed her misty gray eyes and began to play.

As Riku held his head in his hands, he suddenly became aware of a calmness being instilled inside him, and the pain began to subside. He stopped and listened as the lazy, yet strangely beautiful melody played in his mind. Something about the flute made everything inside him settle. Even the raging red ocean inside his head. He released the death grip on his head and turned to look around the room to find the source of it. Then he saw the girl, sitting there, playing the small, black flute.

He stared at her in wonder as a thick drowsiness came over him. What was she doing to him? He had never felt this peaceful in his life. It was as if the music was coming from her mouth and into his body, and coating over everything inside him, settling it into stillness. Was she killing him? Riku found that strangely, he didn't care if she was… he was too tired to care.

Instead, with the pain gone, he lay back down on the pillow. It seemed so soft and comforting, and he stared at the girl as she played. Her soft gray-blue eyes opening slightly just enough to watch him with a strange gentleness. His eyelids became heavy, and they fluttered once or twice, allowing him brief stuttering looks at Arlyn, and then they fell closed with a firmness that declared that this time the would remain closed. Riku could still hear it as he dreamed. The music seemed to take his hand, and lead him deep inside himself, into thick, peaceful slumber.

* * *

Me: Whew! That was a long one. 

Sora turns to Arlyn: So… _who_ are you?

Arlyn: (grumble) (grumble) I'm not allowed to say

Sora: Did you kill Riku?

Arlyn: (evil smile) Maaaaaybe

Kairi: Poor Riku!

Riku: Hey, yeah, poor me… (sarcastic)

Sora: Hey, wait, if you're still here, how are you dead?

Riku: I'm not dead you idiot.

Sora: You mean you didn't really kill him?

Arlyn: (sigh) I wish…

Sora: Why not?

Riku: Hey!

Arlyn: I dunno. Don't look at me. Look at her. (points)

Sora: (glare)

Me: (gives a girly shriek) (dives behind sofa) (pens and paper fly)

Arlyn: psycho…

Kairi: Um, Arlyn what are you doing?

All turn to se Arlyn who's applying tons of pink sparkly lipstick in front of mirror

Arlyn: Practicing for the next chapter… MOOWAH!

Riku: What are you turned into a cow or something?

Arlyn: (slams lipstick down on table) THAT'S IT!

Nani: (pokes head out from around the couch) (gulp) Uh… Arlyn… remember our little talk about _feelings_?

Arlyn: (lunges at Riku) DIE JACKASS!

Nani: … guess not…

Kairi: Sora! Aren't you going to do something?

Sora: (munching on popcorn) Uh… I'm actually rooting for Riku. That girl's crazy. It's about time someone put her in her place.

Kairi: (twitch)

Arlyn: (pounding on Riku) YOU'RE SUCH A JERK! I CANT BELIVE THAT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER YOU KIS-!

Nani: (dives out from behind the cough) NO!

Arlyn: MPH!

Nani: (holding up handy dandy roll of silver duck tape): Ah Ah Ah, Arlyn! No telling!

Riku: Telling _what _exactly?

Me: (gulp) Uh… nothing…

Riku: (realization hits) Oh _Gross_! You mean I have to kis-MPH!

Me with ducktape: NO TELLING!

Kairi: (gasp) –MPH!

Sora: (thinks… thinks… thinks…) EW! He-MPH!

Me: (pant) (pant) read and review or you too shall be duck taped at the mouth until lipless.

All: MPH!


	3. Third Chapter: Her First Kiss

Me: Hello. Welcome to chapter three. I hope you had a pleasant flight.

All: (glare)

Me: …

All: (glare)

Me: WhAt!

All: YOU DUCK TAPED US! NOT COOL!

Sora: Even the crazy Pyro agrees with us! This was painful! (pointing to bleeding, chapped lips)

Arlyn: Yeah! That was totally uncalled for! You took off all my lip-gloss! (pointing to bleeding, chapped lips… they are no longer pink and sparkly).

Me: You don't even know what lip-gloss is.

Kairi: (horrified gasp)

Riku: Oh boy…

Sora: Now look what you've done!

Me: What?

Kairi: (backs away with wide eyes) The… the horror… sh-sh-sh-she doesn't know what l-l-lip-gloss is! She- She! (passes out)

Sora and Riku: (each holding one of Kairi's hands) (glare at Arlyn)

Arlyn: What? It's not my fault! _She's_ the one who-

Me: Don't _make me_ take out this duck tape again! The little yellow duck is always eager for more lips! (evil smirk)

Riku: … Get her!

All: (roars dinosaur/monster roar)

Me: EEEK!

Chapter Three 

Arlyn waited until she knew the silver haired boy was deep in a peaceful sleep, and then she finally put away her flute, placing it gingerly in her soft, leather backpack and pulling on the straps to close the drawstring around its opening. With gentle, slender fingers she placed the backpack under the bed frame, where it sagged in the ground. She took a few moments then, to study his face. He must have been about sixteen or seventeen, she guessed, from the semi-mature look he had around his face. But there was something about his eyes, his cold, hard aqua eyes that had shown her a past of pain and hard lessons. He had an old soul.

She seemed to be about her own age, perhaps a little older. But it was hard for her to keep track of the time. In this new world, there were no calendars, no moon, no sun, and no other people around her who could help her keep things straight. She didn't know when daytime began and nighttime ended, because in this world, it was everlasting night.

She relied on the stars, which never faded, and their strange patterns across the sky to try and tell when nighttime ended and the day began. She was from an era without watches, and because there was no sun, trying to make a sundial like those she had at home would be useless. It was like she was trapped in an eternity of night. She wondered if she would ever escape.

Pushing her ugly thoughts away, she scanned the almost-empty room, tiredly for a place to sleep. The boy had taken the only bed she had managed to put together, and now she had only the cold, hard earth beneath her to comfort her as she slept.

She didn't want to wake him up and ask him to move over, because firstly the bed was far too small for both of them, and secondly, because she didn't know if she had the strength to play the slumber spell again if he woke up with the same headache. She didn't even know if she would be ready to put him back to sleep if he woke up any less than three hours from now… the slumber spell was exhausting to play.

Arlyn stood up, stretching her lean, limber body in the cool warm night air, breathing a quiet sigh of exhaustion as she bent down and took hold of the stool in her hand.

"Kairi…"

Arlyn felt her heart jump into her throat when she thought he had woken back up again. Snapping her head around to him, all she met was his sleeping face. She held back her urge to brush some of the stray strands of silver hair away as she watched him. His almond shaped eyes were very much shaped like her own, which she had never seen before, his handsome, strong face, while clinging slightly to a few signs of boy-hood declared him a very capable young man.

She had removed his shirt earlier, to check his upper body for bruises or broken ribs from the fall, but had found none. Now, however, she discovered she was helpless from allowing her gentle gray eyes to trace over the shape of body. The muscles in his strong, powerful shoulders and arms were perfectly defined, and farther down below his collarbone, his six-pack, washboard abs seemed as if they had been perfectly fitted together to be underneath his coppery tanned skin. Every aspect of what she saw had been toned to perfection, and now that he was asleep she couldn't help but stare. He had a body of a God.

But there was something about him that bothered her slightly, something that put her on the edge and readied her for a fight. It was something that was much more than skin deep, beneath his hair and muscles and rich tan. Something that seemed to radiate from his core and wrap around her, giving her a small chill. There was something about him, something _in_ him… There was a certain… "Darkness." She whispered softly to herself. A little startled at her discovery. But that was what it was. Buried inside his soul were the slightest traces of darkness.

Finally, she was able to pull her eyes away and try to ignore it. She was probably imagining things again. She had a tendency to let her mind drag her away, even before she had come to this strange new place.

"Kairi," the boy muttered again, his voice was so soft she could barely hear.

She stared at him a little while longer, waiting for him to say something more. She found herself wishing she knew who Kairi was. With a heavy sigh, she decided she would sleep alongside the bed on the floor; it was the only other place. Pushing the stool away to the other side of the room with careful quietness so she wouldn't wake him, she lay down on her side in the cold, firm dirt, trying not to cringe when she felt the gritty dust rubbing into her hair. She stretched out her arm beneath her head in an effort to use it as a pillow. It was far from comfortable.

"Kairi," the boy above her muttered again, "are you scared?" He asked into the darkness.

Arlyn lay still and silent, her misty gray eyes wide as the silence began to press down on her. The stars that never faded still throbbed brilliantly with silver as always, and so she could see with perfect clarity, the wall that she was staring at on the other side of the room. She listened to the suffocating silence as the boy's question went unanswered. She had been alone for so long. She found that suddenly she wanted, almost needed to have a conversation with somebody… anybody, even a perfect stranger. She just couldn't stand the silence. And the boy was asleep anyway, maybe if she pretended that he was talking to her… she wouldn't feel so lonely anymore.

Feeling slightly stupid, but longing for company, Arlyn answered for the girl called Kairi. "Yes." She whispered into the silence, not really expecting an answer from Riku. But she got one anyway.

"Why?" he muttered, still asleep as he rolled over.

She too, rolled onto her back, and stared up at the ceiling. His face was half over the edge of the bed, and blue-tinted silver locks of hair fell inches away form her own face. She watched them as she answered.

"Because," She said, trying to keep the cracking out of her voice. "I've been alone for so long, with no one to talk to… I don't understand what's happening anymore… I've been," She sighed, this was so stupid. She hadn't told anyone her feelings in years. But she supposed that it would be alright, if she just pretended to be whoever Kairi was…just for one night. "I've been so lost." She said quietly, watching the way the starlight tinted his hair. "I don't know where my brother is, or my family. I don't even know if they remember me, or if they're trying to find me… what if-" she fought down the lump in her throat. "What if they've moved on? If they don't even care anymore… I couldn't blame them, it's been so long… I've been so empty lately. I don't understand what the point is anymore. Maybe…" She drifted, thinking in the silence. "Maybe there isn't a point anymore… so why am I still fighting? Can't I just… give up? Wouldn't it be so much easier to just give up?" She asked, holding her fingers up in the silver light, watching the way the moved. What was she doing? Spilling out her feelings like this to some guy?

'_Some unconscious guy_.' She reminded herself with a bitter smile. She was being an idiot again.

"Don't be sad."

She was almost startled by his whisper. She hadn't been expecting it. She looked up at his face, he was still asleep.

"You're too beautiful…" He said absently. "To be sad."

Arlyn blinked at his sleeping face as something inside her stirred. It was guilt. She felt as if she was doing something horribly wrong. And at the same time she couldn't stop herself from talking to him, and she felt strangely touched by what he had just said. It had been so long since she had heard another voice other than her own. She knew that he hadn't been talking to her when he had said those things. Of course she knew that. He was talking to this Kairi girl. But still… it was nice to hear those things. She could hardly believe that the rude, ignorant boy that she had slapped earlier was capable of saying such things.

Slowly, and without really knowing why, she sat up in the hard-packed dirt and looked at him. His face had had a certain hardness about it earlier, but now it seemed completely gentle, open… almost kind. His handsome face was framed by those beautiful silver tresses of hair, which were still illuminated with touches of blue-gray here and there, like the color of her own eyes. She brushed her fingers against them for a bit, knowing that she wasn't supposed to be fingering his hair like that but strangely not being able to help herself at the same time.

She had been alone for a couple of years now, and human touch was something that was now alien and strange to her. She had first realized that when she had put her hands on his head to check for a broken blood vessel. It had been like a mental shock, to feel warm skin beneath her hands. She had almost cried when she realized that she had forgotten the feeling. She wondered if he had noticed how long she had let her hands linger there, or if he had even cared.

Suddenly, the boy began to move forwards, his face coming closer and closer to hers. She froze, her breath coming short. She was afraid to move, for fear of waking him up, yet the desperation to yank away from his face was screaming at her. If she had jerked back and gasped, like she had had to stop herself from doing, he would have woken up and asked her what the hell she thought she was doing. How would she explain herself to him then? Then, before she could even realize what was happening, his lips were so soft and gentle. She found him kissing her mouth.

Arlyn's gray-blue eyes widened and her body turned to ice as the stranger kissed her. She felt something beneath the thick layers of coldness stir again, and as much as the kiss felt horribly good, it also felt horribly wrong. First of all, she didn't like him, she hardly knew him. And secondly, it was wrong for him. He thought he was kissing someone else, his girlfriend no doubt, possibly the love of his life, probably the one named Kairi. The kiss wasn't meant for her.

Slowly, she pulled back and broke it, gently so that he remained sleeping. She stared at his gentle face, feeling as if things were going into slow motion. She had trouble even registering what her reaction to his kiss was. What was going on? She felt… numb. And confused. Slowly, she lay back down on the ground, and lay still. Perfectly still. Her eyes were still open and staring at his face before she turned on her side again and stared at the wall. They had kissed.

Suddenly the enormity of it slammed into her so hard that it knocked the breath out of her. She had just gotten her first real kiss. _'Oh my God_…'

Kari: OH MY GOD!

Arlyn: OH MY GOD!

Sora: HAHAHA!

Riku: … I hate you.

Nani: (lost in silly giggles) sorry, Riku, baby, but it is what it is. I can't help it. (grin)

Riku: (starts strangling and shaking author by the neck) YOU CAN SO HELP IT! FIX IT! FIX IT NOW!

Nani: I can't! (gag) (gag) I already (gag) posted it!

Riku: (releases) (grumble) (grumble)

Arlyn: Besides, you shouldn't be acting like the victim. I mean, you kissed me. I didn't lay a finger on you

Riku: I was asleep, dammit! Its not like I grabbed you and threw you onto the bed or anything!

Sora: Yeah, and besides, he thought it was Kairi!

Kairi: (BLUSH!)

Sora: … (it… sinks…in) HEY! RIKU! Don't think about Kairi that way!

Riku: I WAS ASLEEP!

Sora: THAT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE! YOU WERE STILL _THINKING _ABOUT HER!

Riku: IN MY SLEEP!

Arlyn: Hey, who knows, maybe you start liking me

Riku: I barely even _know _you!

Arlyn: (shrug) Never stopped anyone else before

Kairi: (BLUSH) (BLUSH) (BLUSH!)

Arlyn: Would you stop _doing_ that already! It's getting on my nerves!

Riku and Sora: DON'T TALK TO KIARI LIKE THAT!

Arlyn: (blink) Oh (quiet) I see how it is…

Sora: Damn right that's how it is! (secretly had no idea what it means)

Riku: What? Arlyn, what are you talking about?

Arlyn: You like Kairi more than me, is that it?

Sora and Riku: Yeah

Kairi: (BLUSH!)

Arlyn: Would you STOP DOING THAT ALREADY!

Riku and Sora: HEY! DON'T YELL AT HER!

Arlyn: FINE! (stalks away angrily)

Sora: Ha! Good riddance!

Riku: … (stares after)

Sora: … Riku? What's up with that face?

Riku: (looking a little worried) Sora… maybe we should go after –

(Arlyn returns with her handy flamethrower of doom!)

Arlyn: Can I at least use this, then?

Sora and Riku: (sweat drop)

Sora: W-what were you saying just now?

Riku: … never mind…

Me: Read and review:)


	4. Shadows and Nightmares

Me: Ok! So! One of my reviewers (my first one actually) pointed out that the story so far has been all romance. I was shocked/disgusted with myself when I realized he was absolutely right. The same reviewer also pointed out that I was doing that detail thing again, (believe me, he's not the first one to ever point it out either.) Um… oops. I'll try to work on that. Another thing he told me was that it wasn't actually "duck" tape. It's "duct" tape. My world was very abruptly shattered when I realized he was right again (as soon as I got out of the denial and shock that is). But that's besides the point. The point is that I would like to thank him for his advice and also for being my first reviewer. Yey for jeffiswrongC! And thanks so much again, reviewers who try and help me out are the ones who are most appreciated. And I'll make and effort to add in a little more action and violence and maybe humor. :)

Kairi: Violence? As in like… blood?

Me: Oh way more than just blood, hon.

Kairi: Like, over PG?

Me: Way waaay over PG.

Kairi: But… I'm not allowed to watch over PG… my mommy said so.

All: …

Sora: Violent like the begging of Saving Private Ryan?

Me: … WAAAH! They killed Vin Deisel! BASTARDS! (sob) (sob)

Riku: Violent like The Last Samurai?

Me: EEEEK!

Riku and Sora: (jump)

Me: I _love_ that movie! Only it would have been so much better if he had died at the end! If he were REALLY a samurai, that what he REALLY would have wanted! What's wrong with the cinema people these days! Something IS wrong with them, don't you guys agree?

Riku: … You've failed to answer my question… again.

Sora: You didn't answer mine either.

Me: That's because you brought up the death of Vin Deisel! (starts beating Sora while sobbing) JERK!

Riku and Kairi: (sweatdrop)

Kairi: (whisper) Whose Vin Deisel?

Me: (freezes) … (looks up slowly) Kairi… I… I may just have to kill you for that. Remember, I'm the author…

Kairi: (gulp) Uh… I mean, Vin Deisel… yeah… she's cool!

Arlyn: It's a man you moron!

Kairi: Really?

Sora: what kind of a name is Vin anyway? What a freak.

Me: SHUT UP! HE'S NOT A FREAK! HE'S UNIQUE!

Riku: That's just a nice way of saying he's a freak

Me: No! He's not a freak! He's unique!

Kairi: Hey, (giggles) you guys time!

Riku, Sora and me: (blink)

Arlyn and Sora: They what?

Riku and me: We what?

Kairi: You know…they time. Um… like when one word sounds like another… only its not…

All: … (sweat drop)…

Me: Uh… read my chapter now, while we try to explain to Kairi the difference between _rhyme_ and _time_

Kairi: (giggle) You did it again!

Riku: Shoot me now…

**Chapter Four: Shadows and Nightmares**

Riku had stopped talking to her. But Arlyn still lay listening. She couldn't even hear him breathe. The air was laden with a suffocating silence, as if he had woken and knew what she had done, and was waiting for her to explain herself. The room was too hot to bear. Her clothes were tight and confining on her skin, and she and the boy were too close. Getting up, and moving to the other side of the room, Arlyn lay down again up against the wall, her face only inches away from it. Her hot breath fanned her face as it bounced off of and returned from the white, plaster-like material. It was still too much. She felt like she wondered if it was possible that she was suddenly developing claustrophobia.

She sat up, all the while conscious to make as little noise as possible, and peeled off the outer shell of her shirt, leaving her dressed in a thin white camisole in an effort to cool herself. But she was still upset. Turning around, she studied the boy for a moment, her gray eyes emotionless. They had kissed. She didn't even know him. It was frustrating for her, though she couldn't explain why.

She walked over to the bed, reached under it, careful this time to avoid his face, and took her backpack out from under the frame, slinging it over her shoulder. She then padded softly to the open doorframe and walked outside, the brilliant stars flooding her with silver light.

She walked through flat, grassy land until she came to a small pool of crystal-like water and bent down beside it, cupping the cool liquid in her hands and splashing it over her face, closing her eyes to feel the cooling of the ever-night air. The kiss was still racing through her mind as she let the leather straps or her sack slip from her shoulders. She thought about how wrong it had been. How sudden it had been. How it wasn't her fault that she hadn't pulled away sooner…

She eventually came to lean back against a rubbery-feeling tree trunk, her feet comfortably resting in the lush grass, which glowed a light, semi-transparent color and was much thinner and flexible than the grass from her world. (**A/N**: I know! I know! The detail thing… TT leave me alone! I'm taking baby steps!) She hardly ever noticed the difference anymore.

The thick, humid air made things in her mind heavy and clear in a way she couldn't describe, and after a bit, she found herself fumbling with the drawstring of her backpack, pulling out the ebony flute and studying the Celtic pattern of the vines. She started to play, more out of habit than anything else, and tried to make the song as calming as possible. Her soothing melody seemed to flourish in the humid air around her.

As she played, she studied the shadowy woods a few yards away with mild interest. She had only ventured in once or twice, but without any woodland animals to chatter away, things were strangely quiet and eerie. For her, the forest was one of the most disturbing aspects about the new world, because she had grown up in a forest, and it had been completely different from this one. This one was like a shadow of a real forest, of her forest. Hers had been filled with life and constant movement, of smells and sights and noise and the countless presence of living beings. In her forest, you were never alone.

This forest, however, was still and silent. Lifeless. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, there was nothing except silence. It had been as if time itself had stopped once she had entered the canopy of leaves and rubbery trunks. She had almost felt as if she had been the focus of some silent creature inside the woods that was willing her to go away. She was not welcome. Even the trees had seemed to be leering at her, though she knew that wasn't possible.

Now, as she played her flute, she thought she saw a huge, liquid shadow moving towards her from the forest. She had only seen it for an instant. But it had been enough. Her breath caught in her throat as she gasped, making her note falter, and no sooner did she see the large, graceful shadow than did it disappear back into the forest. She blinked her eyes and shook her head, her soft hair falling into her face. She had to learn to control her imagination. Lifting the flute again to her lips, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't see the shadow this time when reappeared, as her haunting melody returned to the air.

"Hey, Sora," Riku called out to his best friend. The spiky-haired, blue eyed teen turned around to look at him. "What do you make of this?" Riku asked, casually tossing a marble sized, dark blue object at Sora, who caught it with both gloved hands. The younger boy turned it over several times, letting it roll through his fingers before shrugging and looking up at Riku. "Maybe it's a seed, or a fruit or something." Sora guessed. Turning, he tossed it to Kairi, catching the younger girl by surprise.

"I wonder what Selphie will think when we go back home to show her everything we've found." After Kairi had bottled the unidentified object in her little vile, which contained a collection of unfamiliar things that they had found and seen.

"She'll do what she always does:" Riku said, tearing his way through the thick foliage of the jungle they were currently in. The moist dirt beneath him threatened to suck up his shoes, the hot humid air drew beads of sweat across his forehead. "act like a complete baby and bawl over the fact that we didn't take her with us."

Sora let out a short, boyish laugh as he passed Riku's right, while Kairi suppressed a small smile with her hand. "Don't be so mean, Riku."

Riku turned around to give her his trademark smirk, but what he saw froze his heart in his chest, making his whole frame jolt painfully. He couldn't believe it. Swirling above Kairi's head was a thickening cloud of darkness. And it was growing. Long, black tendrils of shadow were stretching themselves loose from the air and shimmering in cold, purple-electric patterns. His heart wrenched as he recognized what it was. It was the same darkness that had surrounded their island the night everything began… it was the heartless.

"Kairi!"

Seeing the look on his face, the younger girl's head whipped around to look behind her, her wide blue eyes searching. She only got the chance to scream once, and then the darkness crashed over her like an ocean wave and pulled her struggling form into its pit.

Riku ran after her thoughtlessly, pulling the KeyBlade free with a cold metallic slash and piercing it into the body of the shadows. A sickening cold feeling spread down his throat as he was immersed in the toxic shadows. His skin was burning and his lungs were searing, it was like swimming in acid. "Kairi!" He managed to choke out, the blackness swarmed around his eyes, as if trying to blind him. It was as if a swarm of wasps were relentlessly attacking his vision. It stung like hell, it even made his eyes water with pain. Soon he was completely encompassed by blindness. He could feel the panic and rage build up in his core, making him thrash violently, ignoring the sharp pains it sent up his neck.

Cold hands were wrapping tightly around him like vices, pulling him forwards, devouring him. Multiple teeth sunk into his arms, his legs, his face… they were literally eating him. Riku knew somewhere inside himself that Kairi was already gone. And he knew it was his fault. That pain was almost worse than the wasps and the teeth combined. He sliced the KeyBlade Sora had returned to him with everything he had, his aching muscles screaming at him to rest. But he couldn't. He could feel flesh ripping at the tip of his KeyBlade, but heard nothing scream. It was completely silent. Even his cries were unheard, swallowed by the darkness. Cold, putrid liquid squirted from the depths of the oblivion and soaked into his clothes and arms. It was like being covered in burning ice. It was so cold… the blood on his arms… It seemed that no matter how much he slashed at it, gutted it, pierced it, it couldn't feel any of the pain. It just continued to consume him, slowly, hard fingers threatening to bruise him… he knew it was over…

Riku sat up so quickly that he practically fell out of the bed. His hands were clenching the sheets hard; he could feel his fingernails biting into his palms through his black gloves. His breath was hard and ragged, silver hair falling into his eyes and sticking to the cold sweat on his face.

"A dream." He said to himself, his hands were shaking even as he clamped at the sheets. "It was just a dream."

Relief washed through him as he fell back on the bed, sighing heavily and staring at the ceiling. He didn't recognize it. Slowly it occurred to him that he didn't know where he was… and then vaguely his memories returned to him… he felt his frustration return. He just wanted to trash something. He was still here, from what he could tell, almost alone, on the other side of Kingdome Hearts…

Me: End of Chapter Four! Kairi… you can take off your blindfold now.

Kairi: A-a-are you sure?

Me: We're sure.

Kairi: (thinks) (shakes her head) I think I'll just stay like this for a while.

Sora: Kairi, the story's already over.

Kairi: …

Arlyn: just leave her, she's probably happier that way anyway

Kairi: (Nods Vigorously)

Me: Ok! Well how do you all think I did with the violence?

World: … (cricket chirps)

Me: (pouts, fine) well, jeffiswrongC, if your reading this, then know that the end of Riku's dream, no matter how poorly written, was an effort of mine at your suggestion… not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Actually its only my second violent scene now that I think about it… let me know how I did and don't be afraid to say it sucked. Ok? Ok. As for the rest of you –

Riku: She loves you. Now lets go.

Sora: GO where? We're stuck here.

Riku: … shit…

Kairi: (GASP) RIKU!

Riku: (annoyed) Well what DO you want me to say!

Kairi: (peeking out from under blindfold) I don't know… say sugar or shitugar… hey! Now I know how to time too!

All: (falls anime style)

Arlyn: Not this again… I thought we handled this in the LAST chapter!

Sora: Looks, like we'll just have to try to teach her again. Ready Arlyn? … Arlyn?

Arlyn: (straps Kairi into chair with harsh chains) And this time, you'll remember it!

Riku: How do you plan to get her to do that?

Arlyn: (evil smile) WITH THIS! (whips out flamethrower)

Sora, Riku and Me: EEEK! (all dive under nani's large wooden desk, and hold onto a leg)

Riku: HAVEN'T YOU TAKEN THAT THING **AWAY **FROM HER YET!

Me: Y-yeah! I thought I did anyway!

Sora: Well apparently you haven't!

Riku: Or she just got another one!

Nani: You think THIS is bad? Wait until you meet her sister…

Sora: She had a SISTER!

Riku: … I hate you…

Me: heh heh… (nervous grin)

Arlyn: NOW! TELL ME AGAIN! WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF RHYME, AND WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF TIME!

Kairi: (gulp)… uh… didn't you just time again?

Arlyn: (trigger finger twitches on flamethrower)

All: (cringe)

Me: Um… read and review… and see if Kairi's still intact when we return! (cowers under the table with the boys) EEP!


	5. You and I

(Enter a room…)

Riku: (Reading peacefully)

Sora: (tapping window sill quietly)

Suddenly… door bursts open!

Me: Hey y'all!

All: (Jump)

Me: What?

Riku: (groan) Not you again! I thought we'd gotten rid of you!

Sora: (tired) I always knew she would come back…

Me: gee, thanks guys. So anyways if you're wondering why I haven't been around -

Sora and Riku: We weren't

Me: (glare) anyway I've been at my summerhome since like, July 10th and there's not online service up here until now so I haven't been able to post anything. So sorry. Anyway how's Kairi?

Sora and Riku:…

Riku: (lowers book slowly…)

Sora: (Stops tapping…) … you know I haven't seen her since -

Suddenly door opens!

Arlyn: (enters room) AND DON'T FORGET IT NEXT TIME! (Throws flamethrower into the corner and slams door shut) Humph!… Oh… Hi Nani

Me: Hey… Arlyn where's Kairi?

Arlyn: (flinch) Who?

Me: Kairi? You know, short girl, maroon hair, kind of on the ditzy side?

Sora and Riku: Hey!

Alryn: Oh her… um… she's ummm tied up with something at the moment…

All: (stare)

Arlyn: (nervous figeting)

Riku: Tied up with what, exactly?

Arlyn: Chains

All: (anime fall)

Me: _Anyway_, time for chapter reading, here you are:

**Chapter 5: You and I**

The sky beyond the empty doorframe was a steel blue color. His headache was gone, and he figured from the color of the sky that the sun would be coming up soon. He was lying in a small bed that was constructed of what he could only imagine was wicker and some other cement-like mixture that also made up the walls. The mattress was a bed of leaves that had somehow been woven together, it wasn't unlike the mattress he had had back in Destiny Islands. There was no other furniture in the room other than the bed and there was no door in the doorframe, only an open-air square in the wall that led to the outside world.

After he found his shirt in the corner of the room, Riku walked out into the thin gray-blue light, and found that the stars were still shinning brilliantly above him. He could practically reach out and touch them, they seemed so close. That wasn't right… at this time of morning the stars should have already faded… He vaguely remembered thinking something about the stars right before he had passed out. The more he stood there, thinking, his memories seemed to seep up to the surface of his mind and burst into clarity like bubbles popping in the mud.

There was a girl… Arlyn, who had taken him inside that hut and played songs to him. He remembered feeling that heavy sleep that he couldn't seem to shake off, but when he tried to think about her, all he could remember were her gray eyes. He supposed that he had been in too much pain to have really remembered anything else from before. The migraine had blocked out everything else. He couldn't even remember her face…

Pushing aside the distractions, he looked at his surroundings. He was definitely in another world. The grass on the ground was too soft and colored to transparently to be real, and the stars, like he had noticed before, where too close and too bright, the trees were all thin and amazingly tall, when he brushed his hand over the trunk of one, it felt smooth… like softened rubber.

He became suddenly aware of the fact that his throat was dry and sore; he probably hadn't had something to drink since before the battle… He swallowed, wincing at the rough stickiness that coated his throat and decided to try and find some water before he did anything else. At some point he came across a shallow pool and drank the water greedily. It seemed to be softer than that water at home, it slipped down his throat like easily, almost without him having to swallow. It was so clear that he almost couldn't see it, and it tasted sweeter than normal water should.

When he was finished, Riku stood up and stretched, enjoying the pleasant aching of his sore muscles. He cringed when he rolled his shoulders backwards; there was a sharper pain somewhere by his left blade. Taking his shirt off to examine it, he found a huge multi-colored bruise blossoming on his back. There were red, blue and grayed purple layers of skin forming on the upper left shoulder blade, and they were steadily becoming darker... it must have formed recently from the fall. Maybe he hit the ground harder than he thought… Something beside him stirred, making his whole body tense as he turned to face whatever it was, instincts making him ready for a fight.

But it was only a girl.

Arlyn was lying with her back against a tree, her legs bent around to the side of her, and her head resting uncomfortably on her shoulder. It might have been the same girl who had been with him last time… but he couldn't remember what she had looked like, so there was a chance that this was someone else. He noticed something in her hand, which was resting in the grass. Looking closer, he saw that it was a slender black flute. Riku backed away so fast that he practically tripped over his own feet. He remembered that flute. It must have been her.

Leaning forwards again in order to study her face with cold aqua eyes, Riku realized that there was something odd about her. Her skin was colored in a way he had never seen before. It was darker than Kairi's and yet it was lighter than his own. He couldn't quite place the hue. Was she darker or lighter than Sora? He couldn't even tell. It was like she was a pale tan… if that was even possible. Her face was delicate, and fairly pretty, but there was still something strange about it… he couldn't tell what it was. She might have been from Destiny Islands, she had that sort of look about her, that sort of Hawaiian, exotic look. Her nose was delicate and simple, and her lips were perfectly shaped…

'_Perfectly_…' The word had a sort of resonance in his mind. Finally he realized what was so strange about her. There weren't any faults in her face. Everything seemed to have been deliberately created, or drawn by an artist rather than naturally born. It was pretty, but still the fact that there were not faults made it alien and a little unfamiliar. Even the most beautiful people had little mistakes in their features, like a nose that was a little crooked, or a smile that didn't quite fit their mouth… but that was what made them endearing… and pretty. This was just strange… she was like a statue… flawless… it unnerved him.

Her hair was perfectly straight, and shot like a waterfall to her shoulder blades. Two locks of hair cupped around the sides of her face and ended a little past her chin. But while the rest of her hair was a dark, coal black, these two bangs were a bright, deep blue color. He stared at it for a bit, it was most likely dyed.

He took a step back, examining her still. She looked like she was made of sticks, and if had wanted too, he probably could have broken her in half. She wore a cottony white camisole that was smudged with traces of dirt and pants that somewhat resembled blue jeans, which were dusty and badly torn at the right knee, along with other places. They looked old. Her feet were bare and pitch stained, like her fingertips.

And then, she opened her eyes. They were soft and gray and still half-asleep, but when she saw him looking at her, her whole body jolted in surprise. A shock of life seemed to illuminate her eyes. The two remained staring at each other for a long very long time. He didn't know why she didn't say anything. Maybe she was embarrassed.

Finally she stuttered a soft, "Morning."

Riku only nodded coldly in return. "Morning."

"When'd you wake up?" She asked, clinging to the traces of awkward conversation.

"A while ago."

"Oh."

The silence returned, and the girl cast her eyes towards the ground. Finally Riku became annoyed. "Where are we." It wasn't a question, it was more of an order.

She shook her head slightly, looked back up at him. "I-I don't know."

Riku scowled. "You don't know?"

The girl frowned slightly, her face starting to become stony. "No. I don't. This place doesn't have a name."

"It doesn't have a name…" Riku repeated slowly, the scowl still planted on his face.

"Right. And there's no one else around to tell me." She said, standing up, trying to look him in the eye, but as she only came up to about the bottom of his ear, it was a little hard to capture the effect. She was only a bit taller than Kairi, who was up to about his shoulder, and about the same size as Sora, maybe even a bit taller. The thought made him remember Sora and the last time he had seen him. Riku clamped his eye shut and shook his head a little; they were bad memories.

"Ok, fine." He said, getting impatient. "Then how did you get here?" He wondered if she had also jumped through the door to Kingdom Hearts.

She blinked and looked up at him. "How did I get here?"

Riku only waited.

"I…" She frowned, thinking "I was killed… I think."

Riku blinked. "You _think_?" he answered, his annoyance becoming almost too much to handle. "How do you _think_ you got killed?"

She shook her head, ignoring his tone of disbelief and annoyance. "I…I don't remember… I had to keep the Princess company." She said slowly, still frowning, now with one of her hands to her head. "I had to … to guard her and keep her safe from the dark… and then they came in… those _things_ came in." It was as if she didn't trust herself to remember things correctly, or she was pulling up a dream. "But when I played… they died."

Riku frowned in confusion… when she played they died? It was all starting to make not so much sense… "_What_ are you _talking_ about?"

She looked up at him, a faint frown on her eerily unflawed face. "Those monsters… I had to keep her safe from those monsters. But I was so little then… and I was so scared."

"What? How old were you?"

"Eleven."

"Eleven?" He asked incredulous. "Why would they make an eleven year old guard a princess?"

"The Princess was ten." Arlyn said, as if that would somehow explain everything. "We were… we were best friends since… since I don't even remember when, and she wanted me to be with her in case the shadows took her away."

Riku's heart wrenched. "Shadows?"

She looked at him and nodded. "They're like shadows… only they don't have any souls, or minds… or hearts. They're murderers, and they're virtually unstoppable." She said. "You've never heard of them?" She asked, slightly shocked.

Riku stared at her for a long time, thinking of what to say. "No." He said at last, in his voice a tone of finality. "I've never heard of them."

"You're lying." She said suddenly.

"What?" Riku blinked.

"I can tell." She explained.

"Tell what?"

"When you're lying or not." She said. "You're eyes are too clear to hide it."

Riku scowled. "_Now_ what are you babbling about?"

"Just tell me the truth." Arlyn said, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "We're the only people in the whole world who have to know."

"Funny." Riku said sarcastically, catching the joke. "But since you've already made a point of telling me that we _are_ the only two people in this world I think I'd rather not." As if he'd share his life with a perfect stranger.

"We'll play honor."

"We'll do what?"

"Play honor," She said, "You and I. I ask you a question, you ask me a question. We both have to answer on our honor."

Riku scoffed. "Um, yeah, sure ok." He said sarcastically. "My first question is: Are you crazy?" He ignored the way she rolled her eyes at him. "I just met you, and you expect me to answer any question you ask me?"

"Well we have all the time in the world to get to know each other." She pointed out. "I mean there is no way out. I've been trapped here for four years."

Riku blinked in surprise. _That_ got his attention. "Four years?"

Me: Well that's it for chapter five. I know that not much happened but that's ok. I'm tired.

Riku: Four years! Does this mean _I_ have to be stuck in there with her for that long!

Arlyn: Hey!

Me: Maaaaybe

Riku: No!

Sora: (pats Riku on the back) Well, good luck in there, buddy. (grin)

Riku: If I wasn't so depressed right now I'd punch you in the nose.

Sora: (grin) I know (cheerily)

Riku: (punches Sora in the nose)

Sora: OW!

Me: Hey guys! I found Kairi!

Sora and Riku: Where!

Arlyn: Uh-oh…

Me: She's in here (leads them all around the building until they finally reach a door) (opens door) she's in here!

Behind door: (Walls and carpet are charred) (glass is shattered) (A light from the ceiling falls) (everything is covered in ash)

Kairi: (chained to a chair in the corner) (twitch) (twitch) (whimper) (whimper)

All: …

Arlyn: heh heh…

All: (glare at Arlyn)

Arlyn: Whaaaat? Its not like I did any _real_ damage or anything!

All: Undo it!

Arlyn: What?

Riku: Undo it now!

Alryn: (grumble) (grumble) (starts into the room)

Kairi: EEEEK! NOOOO! KEEP HER AWAAAAY!

Arlyn: (turns and looks innocently at us)

Me: Oh yeah, no damage Arlyn, none at all.

Arlyn: Heh heh heh… oops…

Me: Do you _know_ how many Pyro's I've got as fans because of you.

Sora and Riku: Gah!

Arlyn: Me?

Me: Yes you! Anyway, to all you pyros out there, Arlyn will be more than happy to oblige your flame-loving-needs.

Arlyn: (giggles insanely while clutching boxes of matches and gasoline)

Riku: I'm out!

Sora: Me too!

Me: AHHH! Oh and by the way, yes **Aeshma-Daeva** this story does have a plot, I've just um… lost it. Kidding, kidding. The plot is their journey to try and leave the world. If you were confused about it its probably either because the story hasn't picked up yet, or you're feeling the aftermath of the concept that I do write really long stories.

And also to **Auntie Nuriko**, I know, I like my fun. But I'll stop if my reviewers really, really want me to. And thank you all for reading up to this point. Sorrry this chapter was sort of pointless. Now that I have internet access I should be updating more regularly. Thanks and have a nice day! (ducks fountain of flame directed her way) EEEP!


End file.
